It’s Party Time!!!

Welcome to Story Empire, and our version of the Rave Reviews Book Club Book and Blog Block Party. According to the rules, we need to tell you where we are posting from. Well, that’s kind of hard to do, because there are six of us, and we’re scattered across the US plus one of us is in Europe. I guess we’ll say we’re coming to you from the northern hemisphere.

We also need to tell you about our prize right up front, so here you go—one lucky commenter will win a $30 Amazon gift card, so make sure you leave us a comment today, not tomorrow (although we’d love to hear from you anytime).

***

Craig here, and I’m going to tell you a little bit about how we came into existence. It all started with Mae Clair and me discussing a bit of mutual promotion with a Halloween theme in mind. This would have been around spring of 2016. We dabbled with the idea, but it languished through the summer. When we got serious, the idea came up that more would be merrier, and we both knew some authors who wrote paranormal tales.

We brought in a couple of friends, who both happened to be Rave Reviews Book Club members (because the club is a great way to meet people), and they had some awesome ideas, including this blog. It turns out most of us are multi-genre authors, and we don’t just have to focus on Paranormal and Halloween. So we kept the band together, so to speak. I’ll let the others weigh in here, but we’re excited to have you over and we hope you’ll stick around by following our cooperative blog.

***

Joan here. I’m one of the newest contributors to Story Empire. Staci Troilo and I “met” several years ago through an online writing course. When we both discovered our love of writing fiction, a friendship was formed.

Staci is also the person who recruited me to join RRBC. When she asked me to be a part of Story Empire, I felt both honored and excited. By this time I was also acquainted with Mae Clair, so I readily accepted the invitation.

As Craig said, we are multi-genre authors. My main focus is mystery and suspense, although I’m throwing in a touch (well maybe a bit more than a touch) of romance into my current WIP.

I’m excited to meet other RRBC authors and appreciate the support through the short time I’ve been a member. I look forward to continuing the close relationships found within the RRBC Community.

***

Mae here. As Craig stated, we started this idea last year as a Halloween promotion, and wow has it grown! I think we’ve got a great group, especially with all of us being members of RRBC. Staci Troilo came up with Story Empire name, and she is also our extremely talented webmaster. While you’re here, browse around the site and consider giving our blog a follow. We’ve also got a Story Empire Facebook page, Twitter account, and Google+ profile. We’d love to connect with you on all of those sites!

Story Empire began with one post a week, and a targeted (Halloween) promotion. We now offer posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with all of the SE author members taking turns, and we plan multiple promos throughout the year.

And speaking of promo, it would be remiss of me not to mention that my novel, A Cold Tomorrow is still on sale for the discounted price of .99c for a few more days. You can find the blurb and all buy links here. If you’re looking for a book that combines mystery, suspense, otherworldly speculation and a smidgen of romance, it offers a great escape.

Thanks for joining the SE gang today. We’re delighted you stopped by for our spot on the RRBC Springtime Book and Block Party!

***

Hey, everyone! P. H. Solomon here. I met all the other authors through RRBC. How
great is that! I’m one of the newest contributors on Story Empire and enjoying it immensely. However, RRBC has been an excellent resource for me or how else would I have met these other great authors and become a part of Story Empire?

Staci Troilo has been outstanding as the Story Empire webmaster. She’s created much of the artwork besides our covers and has been incredibly helpful all along. She deserves a big round of applause so let her know how great the site looks!

My latest release is An Arrow Against the Wind which is the second book of an epic fantasy trilogy. It’s off to a fantastic start this week at a discounted price of $2.99, just click here to find buy links and more about the book. I’ll share a specific post about it on the 30th to close out the RRBC block party.

Thanks for stopping by the Story Empire site today and enjoy the rest of the RRBC Springtime Book and Block Party!

***

Hey, folks! Harmony here 🙂 How are you all?

How great is it that we all met through RRBC and now we have this fantastic collaborative blog that has grown so much from its Halloween inception. Our latest Bookmobile tour was a blast. And we have Staci Troilo as our awesome webmaster, who does a fantabulous job! Have a browse around our site and take a look at all the various topics on offer; all our previous blog posts remain available, and you’ll find topics on writing and blogging, and lots of other great things.

While I’m here, I’d like to mention that my latest book came out on Good Friday, and it has already received one 5 Star Review! MOMENTS brings together all my stories that got scattered around and published in different Anthologies, as well as never-before-published shorts and poems. It’s on sale at only $2.99 (£2.99) right now, and gives a taste of my multi-genre writing. The purchase links are: AMAZON US and AMAZON UK.

Thanks for stopping by today. It’s great to see you all!

***

Ciao! Staci here. Wow. I’ve got lots to say after reading the comments from my talented peers, but I promise to keep it short (or do my best to).

I’m certain I’m blushing as I read this. “Webmaster” (to me) implies a high degree of computer talent. Trust me, I’m just muddling through like the rest of you. Word Press is temperamental at best on a good day, as I’m sure many of you know. (And isn’t it funny that the “webmaster” was the last one to even get around to adding her part to the post?)

I took on the website chore when Mae and Craig brought me on board because I wanted to do my fair share. Mae and Craig had (have) bigger audiences than I do and they had (have) big backlists. Harmony (the other original member) had a huge backlist of her own, and she taps into a European audience that I just don’t have access to. I figured to pull my weight, I’d take on the site. And believe me, they’ve all pitched in and helped. So have our newest members (Joan and P. H.), and I’m grateful to all five of them.

And that’s how I’m going to wrap this post up—talking about pooling our resources and gratitude. Which is what I think RRBC is about, anyway.

I just celebrated my one-year anniversary with RRBC. I’ve met many amazing people, entered into a fabulous venture with five of its members, discovered a lot of new authors and their wonderful works, and forged some lasting friendships. This organization has given me benefits that I can’t begin to quantify, but I am immeasurably grateful for all I’ve received.

If you’re a member of RRBC, then I’m not telling you anything new. If you aren’t a member, what are you waiting for? You can join by clicking here.

RRBC helps writers around the globe find new talent in the literary world. The members of Story Empire have a similar mantra—share. It all comes down to sharing, to paying things forward. RRBC shares authors and their works. Story Empire shares its collective knowledge of the writing industry. We’d love it if you’d follow our blog, because we’d love to talk to you about craft, grammar, editing, publishing, and promotion.

I know this ran longer than I said it would (shocking, right?), but I had a lot to cover. Sorry. Bear with me; I have one last thing to say. In the spirit of sharing, we’re giving away a $30 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter. But you have to share in order to be eligible—share your opinion.

About what, you ask?

Craig is about to finish his Yak Guy project. You could ask him about that or The Enchanted League, which he’s editing for publication.

Joan is hard at work on the second book in her Driscoll Lake series, and I bet she’d like to talk about it.

Mae has a great promo going on in anticipation of the third Point Pleasant novel coming out soon. I know she has tons of research she could share about that awesome series.

P. H. is in the middle of an epic fantasy series you should really check out. I know he wouldn’t mind talking about it.

My publisher just released Valuable Treasures, a short story prequel to the Medici Protectorate series (the third book of which will be coming out this summer). I’m always glad to talk about that series.

Our blog history has a long and varied list of topics. Maybe you have a question about something you read there, or about something industry-related we’ve never addressed but you’d like to discuss.

In short, we’re open to talking about almost anything. So please, ask a question or drop a quick thought, and enter yourself in our prize raffle. And we’ll see you in the comments! (And now I’m really done. 😉 )

I’m REALLY late, but I enjoy reading SE posts. I do have a question, and I’m sure it shows how behind I am on marketing. But…how do you guys do newsletters? I started one and fizzled, because it felt like I was doing a lot of what I do on my blogs and webpage. How do you make them different than blog posts and SE posts and tours, etc.? And how often do you send out a newsletter? How do you make it special?

I am not the guy to answer this, because I don’t have a newsletter. They still seem kind of spammy to me, but that’s probably my personal phobia. Others here have mailing lists and I hope they weigh in for you.

Hi, Judi. I’m really REALLY late chiming in on this, because I’ve been out of the country on vacation, but I wanted to comment on newsletters. Story Empire (as a group) doesn’t have a newsletter, but many of the individual authors do. I’ve been lax on sending mine out (which I normally do about 4 times a year). I normally time my newsletters in conjunction with new releases or special pricing on my books. Most times (but not always) I try to include other information that doesn’t appear on my blog–like fun facts, a recipe, holiday or seasonal tidbits, etc. Whatever I offer, I try to tie it into the book I’m promoting at the time. The thing I like about a newsletter is that those people who receive them have ELECTED to sign up, which tells me they WANT to hear the news I have to share. I know some authors run a contest through their newsletters and award prizes like a small ($5.00) Amazon gift card or free book from a drawing. Other authors offer a free novella or book for signing up for their newsletter. That’s something I’d like to get around to doing eventually.

Well – trust me to be late to the partay! 😛
Here now though, and if this doesn’t demonstrate the reach of RRBC (not to mention the POWER OF SIX!! then nothing can! 8:) It took me about a minute to scroll down to the leave this comment! ::-) Now that’s co-operative power for you 😀 Great combi-post guys and loads to see on here 🙂

Hey guys and gals, I’m sorry I’m late getting to your blog. I don’t know what I got tied up with yesterday, but I did. It might have been the 400 pounds of potatoes I got out of my garden. Anyway, I didn’t know SE existed, though I do know many of you very well and your works. Harmony, Mae, Staci, and P.H. for certain. Craig and some of the others, not so much, but in time I will get to know all of you very well. I’m sure Harmony knows me as well as I know her and her undying support of me and vice versa. I have my eyes on some of your books and I’ll see you in Twitterland on Monday. Have to take Ellen fishing in the morning and grandkids on Sunday. Love you guys.

Hope you guys had a great party. Sorry I missed. I checked the list twice yesterday but didn’t see this one for some reason. I already have many of the 99 cent books listed and hope to get around to them soon. I think this Story Empire is a wonderful idea. I’ve already reblogged quite a few helpful articles. RRBC is a great place to make friends.

Hi Guys! What an awesome grouping. Best of luck to all of you. Staci, my question is more of a request. Periodically, will you share your data on how this impacts your lists, sales, popularity and growth as individuals? Thanks and enjoy the party!

You have a lovely site here, lots to offer! I like the way you put RRBC – writers from around the globe. How true that is. So many different styles of writing, so many wonderful books… And it brought us this entertaining, non-stop fun Block Party. Great job, all!

Such a fabulous group with amazing talent! It’s so wonderful to see you on the blog tour. I hope many members connect and discover what an incredibly supportive group you are and the quality content you provide. Many thanks to you all. Cheers! 🙂

I just recently joined RRBC. I’ve been sharing RRBC members’ Twitter posts for about two years. I’ve made contacts on Facebook but never joined a group. Writing can be a lonely craft. I’m happy to be part of the group and hope to find a group of authors like you have.

Welcome to the #RRBC blog party, members of the Story Empire. When I first heard about you, I wondered if this could be like a group within the group thing. The way I see it, your group could be a stand alone book club, or perhaps, it is. The only problem here is that it is garnering its members from the #RRBC membership. Sneaky!

Hi, Joy. We really aren’t a book club at all. I look at it more like a co-op where we get to actually post content and do some mutual promotions together. (Sharing expenses, etc.) I think you’ll find us all to be pretty supportive RRBC members.

I’m sorry you feel that way. That’s not our intent. More accurately, that’s not what happened.

Many of us knew each other before we were members of RRBC, and we aren’t taking members away from the club. We are members of both groups concurrently. Also, we are not a book club, so there is no conflict of interest. Our primary focus is not to introduce our books to each other or to our followers (although we are authors and do have to promote on occasion). Our mission is to take the knowledge we have of the writing/publishing/marketing industries and share it with others who are looking for more information. And we sincerely hope we are doing just that.

Hi, Joy … we are definitely NOT a book club and are NOT garnering “members”. We are simply six authors all collaborating in a spirit of mutual support. I’m sorry you disapprove. You will find every single one of us supportive RRBC members.

Sorry you feel that way. We are not a book club, but a group of authors who write content which we hope will be helpful to other writers. Yes, we do have pages listing our books, but what author doesn’t do that? We are not in competition with RRBC, don’t recruit members, and don’t charge a membership fee. People are free to choose whether they want to follow our posts.

Great post, and a great blog. I’ve enjoyed following you guys. I do have a question about the blog. Since you take turns posting, do you coordinate your topics with each other, so as not to end up posting about the same thing twice in a row, or the like? I’m just curious as to how you keep it all flowing so well, with no major repetition. Whatever you’re doing is working, for sure!

When we created our posting calendar, there was a spot to enter our topic for the day to try and coordinate or inspire each other or simply avoid duplications. But we made so many revisions to the calendar, the topic-part kind of fell by the wayside. Like Craig said, though, we schedule so far in advance (usually) that we can avoid conflicts.

You guys are doing a great job with the SE blog, especially considering each of you has your own blog, and promo stuff, and writing stuff, and stuff. 🙂 Lovin’ the great posts, and I’ve found some great resources in your Friday lists. Keep it up!

Thanks, Julie.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the Friday links post, but I have to say, I’m really getting a lot out of it. We all follow different blogs, so pulling the best we find and listing them in one place has introduced me to content and bloggers I otherwise never would have found.

Not to copy everyone else’s answers, but it really is a group effort. It would be a full-time job for one person to do on his or her own. Our private FB group is great for planning (plus there’s always email), and everyone really pulls their strengths when contributing.

It’s funny, but I think I’d be more surprised if there were different answers. Having the same answer shows all of you are on the same page, which is great. Something like this is really hard to maintain.

We’re running a schedule that’s planned for the year. Good thing too! With a release, one or two of us end up busy. But we can also give each other some concentrated support at the same time. The other authors have been very supportive of me this week during my own release which is fantastic to have – keeps an author sane!

You got it. Congrats on the great opening week. I’m hoping to get the next book out in May. Just got a cover art progress shot and a piece to share later today. Though, I just hit the point where I’m paranoid about the editing and quality. Gone over it 4 times and now I’m freaking out that it needs work.

Try converting it to digital and load it on a reader and give a read through then – might catch anything remaining when you see it in that format… Thanks on the opening week. Hope you get there with the next book on time!

It’s the best way to go. Another reason I don’t push for beta readers and editors because I seem to never have the time to return such favors. Promoting on my blog and hosting guests posts/interviews works though.

For definite, I find the team effort invaluable. I work full time as well as trying to write and keep up with all the online stuff, lols, and working as a team and bouncing ideas off one another both help massively. Thanks for all your questions and comments today, Charles! 🙂